Revelation Answers

The messenger at Ephesus is commended for *rejecting false apostles, chastised for leaving his first love, and summoned to return to his first works .  In his exhortation to the “ messenger ” at Ephesus, Jesus begins by stressing his intimate knowledge of all the churches in Asia. He is “ grasping ” the seven messengers tightly in his right hand, and “ walking ” continuously among the seven assemblies. Therefore, he knows their “ works and labor and endurance ” – ( Revelation 2:1-7 ). - [ Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash ].

The Hebrew term ‘rosh’ in Ezekiel is not a proper name. Instead, it is the common noun with the meaning “head.”   Certain interpretations claim the Hebrew word ‘ rosh ’ in Ezekiel chapter 38 refers to the nation of Rus , the name of the medieval kingdom of Kievan Rus . From this, it is argued that, in the prophecy, Rus refers to modern Russia. Against this view is the fact that in the Hebrew Bible ‘ rosh ’ consistently means “head,” including in Ezekiel  - [ Photo by Jack Stapleton on Unsplash ].

New Jerusalem will be populated in fulfillment of the promise to Abraham to “bless all nations”  –  Revelation 21:24-22:5 .  The book of  Revelation  concludes with a picture of the immense and glorious city of “ New Jerusalem ” populated by the “ innumerable multitude ” of men redeemed by Jesus from every nation. It represents the fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham of “ land ” and “ blessings to all the nations ,” and all “ redeemed by the blood of the Lamb ” - [ Vancouver, BC - Photo by  Daniel Seifried  on Unsplash ].

The language of “war” is used metaphorically to portray the attacks of the “beast” against the saints – Revelation 11:7 . Revelation  uses “war” and related terms to illustrate Satan’s attacks against the saints, the followers of the “ Lamb .” The book shows no interest in conventional or nuclear warfare between nation-states. Instead, the “ Dragon ” strives to annihilate the church before his allotted time expires, and he does so through deception, compromise, and persecution against the church - [ Photo by  Glenn Carstens-Peters  on Unsplash ].